We thought that Bryce and Zion National Parks would top anything we’d see but at Moab we were just totally blown away by Arches and Canyonlands National Parks and Dead Horse State Park.  Add to that the surprises that Moab has already delivered to us (see the last blog post) and we were left breathless.

Arches National Park

The first park we visited was Arches NP.  The entrance was just 5 miles down the road from our RV park but gee, the entrance looked forbidding.  It is opposite a sand dune bay and when we looked up at the cliffs from the road there was no way we could imagine how anyone could drive up there let alone build a road.  In the 3rd photo (which was actually taken at day’s end and shows a cyclist we rescued) you can see a campervan about centre left but if you look a fraction higher and right you can just see the top of a car going in the opposite direction beyond one of many switchbacks to get to the top.  By the 8th or 9th pic we are finally up top of the mesa and on our way deep into the park.  I’ve posted a video here to show the visit including the ascent to the top.

Natures Wonderland

Arches, as you’ve probably ascertained by its’ name is home to more natural rock arches than any other place on earth.  There are dozens but the tourists generally only get to see a handful unless they are fit, dedicated, self-sufficient hikers. However arches are not the only feature of this natural wonderland. Vast plains, hoodoos, spires, massive rock walls, amazing skylines, Arches NP has it all.  All that is except water.  This is the Utah desert after all.  I won’t even try to describe much of the park.  I’ll let the photos tell that story just keep in mind (yet again) that the photos, no matter how hard we try cannot do justice to the scenery and scale of these natural wonders.

Cityscape or Landscape?

I have tried where possible to include photos of the interpretive signs to tell you what you are looking at.  My favourite part is towards the end of the gallery in an area called “Park Avenue”.  If you’ve ever been to New York (or any super city) you can easily see the comparison between high rise city blocks and natures version of the same scene.  The final 3 pics are taken in the RV park.

Alive in Dead Horse Canyon

Two days later we cantered to Dead Horse Canyon State Park.  I started the gallery with Shane’s photo of 7 toilet rolls.  She thought it was quirky that National Parks would provide a different roll for every day of the week.  That aside at 5680 feet (1730m) the views from Dead Horse Point Overlook are spectacular. Again I won’t try to describe everything but you can see from the gallery that this region (Southern Utah/Northern Arizona) is blessed with an overabundance of natural features. 

The Long and Winding Road

Some features worth noting are the potash ponds below the overlook.  If “Potash” rings a bell you may remember our last blog where we described a day trip we did down Potash Road.  That road leads to these ponds after tracing the banks of the Colorado River. As you’d imagine it is a wilderness trail but to really get an idea of how this road evolves wait until you see the end of Potash Road (called Shafer Trail Road at the far end) in the photos in the Canyonlands gallery (below).

Why “Dead Horse”?

By the way Dead Horse gets its name from when the cowboys used to round up wild mustangs and herd them to the same cliff we were standing on.  Being a narrow mesa the cowboys corralled the horses with trees and branches, selected the horses they wanted then sadly left the rest to die of thirst (it is a desert) within sight of the Colorado River 2000 feet below.  To see a video on Dead Horse SP click here.

Canyonlands NP

From Dead Horse NP we drove around the canyons to the other side known as Canyonlands National Park.  In the first photo (of a relief model of the area) I have placed a red star slightly up and to the right of the “You are here” label.  That red star is where we were in the last gallery in Dead Horse Canyon SP.  The “You are here” label is the “Island in the Sky” Visitor Centre and when you see the countryside from the lookouts here that is what it looks like.  After the Visitor Centre our next stop was the most amazing stone arch that somehow sits on the top of a vertical cliff. As per normal in Utah the views are breathtaking.

Stunned by the Most Stunning Sight

Moving on the next overlook is Green River Overlook and I have to say when I got to the fence and saw the view it took me a solid 5 minutes of staring before I could take a photo.  It is undoubtably one of, if not the most, awesome sight I have ever seen.  Shane was just as taken aback by the unbelievable natural beauty of this scene.  You just have to see this view live to really take in the humongous scale and incredible beauty here.

Another Grand View

We composed ourselves and after a million photos we drove to the next overlook, Grand View Point. It is almost as awesome as Green River Overlook.  The landscapes here are killing us.  They just keep throwing up breathtaking view after breathtaking view. Grand View Point Overlook is another example of overwhelming beauty.  Our video of Canyonlands NP is here.

Back to Potash Road

Remember over the last two blog posts I have mentioned Potash Rd?  Well the last five photos are of the far end of the road only now its called Shafer Trail.  You can see it coming down the middle of the canyon before it begins a most hair-raising ascent zig-zagging up the cliff just near the entrance to the park. The three cars visible in the second last photo are going in opposite directions as they come up the mountain side.  There’s a GPS pic to show you just how winding the road is.

Footnote to End On

As a footnote the only blemish on these scenes is the high number of ‘contrails’ from aircraft in so many photos.  They have been present everywhere we’ve been in the USA.  In one pic alone you can count 14 trails.  Well that finally wraps up another blog but I must say this one has been a real chore.  So many gorgeous photos and so few adjectives.  The combined total of photos we took at these three parks alone was a bit over 1000 and culling for these galleries has not been easy.  I have also included 3 videos to show you as well in the hope you can appreciate the scale of these parks. So enjoy.

Cheers for now

Garry & Shane

 

 

 

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